US-Saudi Aggression Suspends Flights to and from Sana’a Airport, Causing Humanitarian Catastrophe

Yemenis are facing a new humanitarian crisis as the US-Saudi aggression has suspended flights to and from Sana’a International Airport for the past week.

Khaled Al-Shayef, the General Manager of Sana’a International Airport, confirmed on Wednesday that the suspension of ticket issuance and reservations from Sana’a is part of the siege, depriving Yemenis of their right to travel. He stated that the US-Saudi aggression is using Yemen Airways as a tool to punish the Yemeni people.

Mohtar Droush, the head of the Supreme Medical Committee, clarified that the US-Saudi aggression’s measures to suspend ticket issuance greatly impact patients and exacerbate their suffering. He pointed out that the last travel flight for patients from Sana’a Airport was a month ago, with only 12 patients managing to secure bookings from outside Yemen.

“Patients are dying in queues by the hundreds, so the humanitarian issue must be taken into consideration,” he added.

Travel agency owners in Sana’a confirmed that the US-Saudi aggression’s decision to suspend sales from their offices in Sana’a has left them without work, unable to sell tickets or make reservations.

“Unfortunately, we are forced to turn away citizens from our offices and have been unable to provide our services. We understand their pain and empathize with their suffering,” they said. “There are patients who cannot bear the journey from hospitals in Sana’a to the airport, so how can they reach Aden to obtain a travel ticket?”

Patients barred from traveling through Sana’a Airport pleaded, “Being unable to travel through Sana’a Airport is a death sentence for us in hospital beds.”

On August 9, 2016, the Saudi-led coalition imposed restrictions on Yemen’s airspace, closing Sana’a Airport to commercial flights. This action trapped millions in a war zone, hindered the movement of humanitarian and commercial goods, and caused thousands to die waiting for treatment. The restriction also nearly halted commercial cargo, including medical supplies, causing medicine prices to soar.

Despite the truce, the aggression has limited flights to Jordan and failed to show seriousness in bringing peace to Yemen.

The crisis at Sana’a Airport has resurfaced recently with Yemen Airways management in Aden issuing a decision to transfer sales revenue accounts from Sana’a and to shut down the ticket issuance system for Sana’a. This comes as the Ministry of Transport in Sana’a announced corrective measures, including rescheduling flights and maintaining all the planes there.